Whalers and activists collide

Japanese officials insist no decision has been made to cut short the country's Southern Ocean whaling season after a dramatic clash with Sea Shepherd vessels.

Japan's whaling fleet was forced to abandon a refuelling operation on Wednesday after a series of collisions with the conservation activist group's boats.

Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson said whaling had been suspended and he didn't expect the remaining 18 days of the season would see any hunting.

But Japan's Consul-General in Melbourne, Hidenobu Sobashima, said that comment was wide of the mark.

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"That is not correct," Mr Sobashima said.

"We have temporarily suspended refuelling activities but not more and not less than that."

Asked if the season would continue, Mr Sobashima said: "I'm not in a position to explain the detail of the movements of the whaling fleet."

News agency AFP also quoted a Japanese Fisheries Agency official in Tokyo saying the whaling program would continue.

Japan's Institute for Cetacean Research (ICR), which co-ordinates the annual hunt, was yet to comment.

Mr Sobashima said Japan had protested to the embassies of Australia and The Netherlands in Tokyo, but would not respond to federal environment minister Tony Burke's comment that whaling was in "flagrant violation" of international law.

"However, I'd like to say that what is being done is lawful in accordance particularly with article eight of the international convention for the regulation of research whaling," he said.

Sea Shepherd said its three vessels in the area - the Steve Irwin, Bob Barker and Sam Simon - were rammed by the Nisshin Maru, but Mr Sobashima laid the blame with the conservation group.

"It's the Sea Shepherd who are endangering the life and property of the crew and the safe navigation of the sea and therefore the Sea Shepherd activities are illegal and impermissible," he said.

"It's the Sea Shepherd vessels who approached the Japanese vessel and collided."

Captain Watson rejected that version of events.

"Their argument is that we hit their fist with our face," he said.

"It was more like a case of road rage."

Mr Sobashima said Sea Shepherd's claim the Japanese fleet had been illegally refuelling was false.

As the Greens repeated their call for an Australian naval ship to be sent to patrol the area, Prime Minister Julia Gillard continued to rule it out, saying it would put Australian personnel at risk.

"When did we become the nation that apparently has got the capacity to police every ocean in the world?" she told reporters in Adelaide.

Sea Shepherd estimates only 12 whales have been caught so far this season, while Mr Sobashima said figures were not available.

The Consul-General said he was confident Australia's case at the International Court of Justice to ban the annual hunt would not succeed.

"We believe that what we are doing is lawful, therefore the International Court of Justice would favour the Japanese position," he said.

Japan claims it conducts scientific research that is lawful under an International Whaling Commission Ban, and is continuing a cultural tradition.